Junior running back Jordon James will start for UCLA on Saturday against Nevada, but that doesn't mean he will be the Bruins' bellcow in the backfield. DOUG PENSINGER, GETTY IMAGES

LOS ANGELES – Since all-time leading rusher Johnathan Franklin’s hallowed spot in UCLA’s backfield was vacated last season and left to a group of unproven backs, the consensus answer to how the Bruins would replace him has been met with two distinct responses.

The first: No one can replace Johnathan Franklin.

The second: Why not replace “The Mayor” with a committee?

The first answer, obviously, doesn’t do UCLA much good in 2013, as it prepares to do exactly the opposite, starting this week. And while the second is certainly the more optimistic – and democratic – approach heading into Saturday’s matchup with Nevada, the concept of running back-by-committee carries an undeniable stigma, the popular assumption being that none of UCLA’s backs are good enough to carry a full rushing load.

Sounds easy, right? Mazzone’s response, while cavalier, is rooted in experience. As offensive coordinator at Auburn during the 2001 season, Mazzone ran a committee backfield led by future NFL backs Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams that combined for 1,470 yards and 12 touchdowns. UCLA’s returning scholarship backs combined for 535 yards and six touchdowns behind Franklin last season.

“Unless you’re the Minnesota Vikings and you have Adrian Peterson, this day and age it’s about ‘by committee,’” UCLA coach Jim Mora said at Pac-12 media day. “It might be two, three, or four, and for us, it’s finding the right guy and inserting them into the game at the right time.”

But while running back-by-committee has been the buzz phrase throughout spring and summer, UCLA selected junior Jordon James to be the starter this week, and Mora mentioned Wednesday that sophomore Steven Manfro would be his direct backup. Those two, he said, will likely get the lion’s share of carries against Nevada.

But does two running backs really make a committee? Or will UCLA’s running game be more similar to last season than previously believed?

Steve Broussard, the Bruins’ running backs coach, spent the first half of his NFL career in a timeshared backfield in Atlanta and Cincinnati, competing for carries with two or three other backs in any given year. But when asked about running a by-committee approach at UCLA on Tuesday, Broussard recoiled.

“I don’t think you ever heard me say running back-by-committee,” Broussard said. “It’s a guy, whoever is going to stand out and separate himself as being the guy. ... It’s going to be the guy that’s most consistent and takes advantage of his opportunities. Right now, Jordon is going to be the starter, whatever that means.”

Maybe it means a lot. Maybe it means nothing at all. Either way, Broussard made it clear that UCLA’s backfield depth chart is written in pencil, not ink, leaving a situation in which none of the Bruins’ backs truly know where they stand.

That kind of pressure can be the ultimate motivator, says former Bruins back DeShaun Foster, who, alongside Broussard, has helped coach UCLA’s running backs since last season. Foster (Tustin High) also spent a significant portion of his NFL career in a committee, sharing carries with Carolina Panthers running backs Stephen Davis and DeAngelo Williams.

“When you have three backs that you can use and you’re not going to lose too much when one is in there, it’s by-committee,” Foster said. “You need two backs. … We’re flying up and down the field, no huddle and everything, you want to keep guys fresh.”

UCLA’s up-tempo offense makes it nearly impossible to rely on just one running back to carry the entire load – even Franklin gave up 108 carries to a combination of James and injured senior back Damien Thigpen last season. But while earlier comments seemed to suggest that three or four running backs could get equal opportunity to tote the rock this season, the tide seems to be shifting away from a by-committee approach to a whoever-stands-out policy.

“I don’t know what I’d call it,” said Mora, asked whether it was fair to still call the approach by-committee. “I’m just going to call it a pretty good backfield.”

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.